Drop-bottom dump car



Nov. 16 1926;

F. ANDREWS DROP BOTTOM DUMP CAR Filed Feb. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 3mm A 3515' mk Nqv. l6 1926. 1,607,035

F. ANDREWS DROP BOTTOM DUMP CAR Filed Feb. 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 16, l$26.

FORREST.ANDR;EWS, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

DROP-BOTTOM DUMP CAR.

Application filed February 15. 1926. Serial No. 88,458.

This invention relates to drop-bottom cars for use in transporting and dumping loose vmaterials such as coal, earth, ores and the like, and has for its object to provide a car of this type which shall be strong, durable, simple in construction, and of eflicient operation.

In cars of this type it is desirable to provide a drop-bottom which is automatically released at the dumping station and automatically actuated to close as the car leaves such dumping station. It is usual in such cars to provide a plurality of successively operating bottom closure members or doors, and to provide suitable locking means to assure that the doors shall remain closed at all times except when passing the dump; ing station. It has heretofore been proposed to employ a plurality of doors hinged either on the car axles or on stationary pivots secured tothe car body and having the rear edge or lip at each door (except the rear one) adapted to rest on some portion of the next succeeding door when in closed position, while the rear edge of the rear door is supported by a latch, which latch when tripped first frees the rear door, which in dumping frees the next door to the front, and this latter door in turn frees the door in front of it. In such structures the doors are released successively and each door necessarily approaches its fully open position before the next door in the forward direction is released. The disadvantages of this operation are obvious. \Vhere the distance to be travelled in crossing the dumping station is small, the speed of the car must be vSlow because the operation of the doors is successive and the ear is dumped, as it were, back end first. Moreover, when the rear door is released from the retaining latch which hOlds it in closedposit-ion, said rear door has to approach full dumping position before the next succeeding door is released, and in the act of reaching such dumping osition the forward edge of the door resting thereon has to be lifted, through the dumping action of the rear'door, before said next succeeding door can be released.

According to the present invention. the car is provided with a plurality of dropbottom doors,.one of which is mounted to turn on a horizontally swinging axis. combined with means actuated on the closure of the doors and imparting swinging movement to said axis, in which said swinging movement said axis moves a supporting element into engagement with the next adjacent door to hold the same in closed position. Conversely, when the door mounted on the swinging axis is released and theaxis swin in the reverse or rearward direction, said axls in its movement withdraws the supporting means from supporting engagement withthe next forward door, thereby freeing said door. There may be, and preferably is, a plurality of doors mounted upon swinging axes, each of which in turn operates as indicated above. The means actuated by the swinging axes to be thrown into su porting engagement with the next forward oor may be embodied in a variety of forms without departing from the present invention. Preferably, and as here shown, such means consistsof a projection on the door itself extending forward beyond the swinging axis into "a position to be engaged by a projecting lip on the next succeeding door. The rear edge of the rear door is engaged by a swinging latch, which in the act of closing imparts a fonward thrust to the door, thereby imparting a forward swing to the axis upon which the door is mounted, and this axis in its rearward movement imparts a rearward swing to the next succeeding door, and so on through the series. Conversely, when-the latch is tripped, the weight of the material on the doors imparts a -rearward swing to the doors, thereby automatically and almost simultaneously tripping all of the doors.

The tripping of the doors may occur, if desired, at the time'when the car is immediately over the dam ever, the automatic tripping of the retaining latch is timed so as to occur just' before the car reaches the dump, and in order to prevent the load from being discharged before the dump is reached, means, such for example as a rail extending between the two track rails and parallel therewith, is provided upon which the doors rest, which rail extends to, and on the edge of the dump, extends downwardly. The result of this is that all of the doors are free and ready for the dumping action and, as the forward door reaches the drop in the retaining rail, it drops and delivers its loadand the remaining doors deliver their load in successien, the rear door being the last to discharge.

J On the far side of the dump, a central cam rail is provided extending between and parallel to the track rails and into posi- Preferably, howvention, reference being rear door is raised it engages the latch which, in its closing movement, swingsthe entire series of doors except the 'forward door forward, and in so doing swings the door axes, previously referred to, forward, carrying with them the means for engaging and supporting the rear edges of the doors in the series, as above described.

The inventive idea is capable of receiving a variety of-mechanical expressions, one of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which drawings are, however, for the purposes of illustration only and are not. to be taken as defining the limits of the inhad to the appended claims for this purpose.

In said drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration showing three cars, .one approaching the dumping station, one over the dumping station in the act of dumping, and thethird in the position which the parts assume as the car leaves the dumping station;

Fig. 2, is a rear elevation of a car embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation showing the position of the doors on approaching the dumping station, with the retaining latch released;

Fig. 5 is a like view showing the doors in fully openposition over the dumping station; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the doors in closed and locked position on leaving the dumping station. 2

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, 1 is a car body of any suitable construction supported on axles 2, 2, which in turn are carried by wheels 3, 3, the car being preferably provided with forward and rearward bumpers 4 and 5. The bottom closure of the car is preferably composed of a plurality of hinged members here shown in the form of three doors 6, 7 and 8, preferably of concave forni and having upwardly extending sides. The forward door 6 is mounted to turn on any suitable axis 9, here shown as supported in the car body, in any-suitable manner. The doors 7 and 8, however, are mounted on axes 10 and 11, which axes are in turn carried by links 12 and 13, respec: tively, there being two of such links for each axis, one at either end. These links are mounted to swing on the axles of the car. The result of this construction is that each of the doors 6 and 7 can turn on its axis, which axis can swing or oscillate backward or forward on the axles of the car, the forward swinging movement of the links being limited by sultabl'e stops here shown in the form of pins 14 and 14,-projecting inward from the sides of the car body 1 and in like manner the rearward swinging movement of the links may, if desired, be limited by similar stops 14, 14.

Mounted to turn on a horizontal pivot 15 supported at the rear of the car, as on the bumper 5, is a bell-crank shaped latch 16 78 providedin its lower end with a notch 17. A bell-crank lever 18 (Fig. 2) is mounted to turn upon a pivot 19 with "one arm 20 extending out horizontally beyond the side off;

.the car, while its other arm 21 extends down- 8 ward and is proi'idedwith a shoulder 22.

The long arm 20, being much heavier than the arm 21, tends to rotate the lever about fulcrum pin 19 and throw the shoulder 22 under the latch 16 when the same is in raised position, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Fig. 2, said latch 16 in moving to its upper position engaging the cam face 23 on the lower end portion of the arm 21 to tilt the same to the right in Fig. 2 in order to permit the latch 16 to come to its upper position.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6, it will be understood that the car is moving from left to right on the rails 24, 24, and as it approaches the dumping station, but before it reaches the same, a cam rail 25 mounted at the side of the track (see Fig. 2) operates to lift the arm 29 of the bell-crank lever, thereby withdrawing the shoulder 22 from under the latch 16. which latch then falls into the position shown in Fig. 4, and the left of Fig. 1, permitting the door 8. to fall therewith until the concave bottom of the door rests upon the midrail 26. In falling, the door'8, with its axis 11, swings rearward, withdrawing the projection which extends to the forward side of the link from under the nose 7' of the door 7, which in turn falls upon the rail 26, withdrawing thev projection at the forward side of the axis 10 from under the lip 6' of the door 6. The doors 6, 7 and 8 are all thus resting upon and supported by the rail 26, as shown in Fig. 4. As the car reaches the dumping station, the door 6, owing to the downward incline of the rail 26, is permitted to fall into fully open position. Thereafter, the doors 7 and 8 in succession fall into open position and discharge the load. This is theposition shown in the center of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 5. As the car advances from left to right, the door 6 first comes in contact with the cam rail 27, which rail it will. be observed at its highest point is raised an appreciable distance above the rails 24. This cam rail 27 acts to raise first the door 6 and then the door 7 into fully closed position and then to raise the door 8 into the same position. As the door 81is moved upward, its forward lip engages the notch 17 in the catch 16, swinging it upward on its pivot, which movement necessarily forces the door 8 and with it its axis 11 forward, this movement being permitted by tlte swinging action of the links 13. "When the door 8 and the latch 16 have reached their highest position, the shoulder 22 on the trip lever 18 passes thereunder and supports the latchas shown in Fig. The forward swinging movement of the door 8 causes the rear projection of said door to engage the door '7, such projection passing under the lip 7' of said door, and a like swinging mo'veinentis imparted to the door 7 and its axis 10, bringing the projection on 'the door 7 under the lip 6 of the door 6, all as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The forward swinging movement of the links 12 and 13. being ited by stops 14, 1d.

It will be observed that, in the act of freeing thedoors and dumping the car, the doors are successively freed ready for the dumping action without having to overcome resistance due to the weight of the load carried on the doors, and hence that the swinging action will be freely and readily accomplished.

preferably lim- It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention provides a dumping car wherein the load is dumped by the forward doors first and the succeeding door of the series in succession, and that as a result of this construct-ion, the car may be moved more rapidly over the dumping station while effecting the dumping action; or, that the width of the dumping station may be materially decreased without danger of any of the load being dumped'elsewhere than at such station. It will also be appreciated that the construction is oneof great-strength, and simplicity, and therefore not liable to get out of order, and that, in the operation of tripping the doors, the resistance due to the weight of the load does not have to be overcome and that therefore the tripping action can be effected with greater facillty and without placing undue strain upon the parts,v

While the invention has been described in its preferred form, it will of course be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the specific construction herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention. therefore, is not to be taken as limited by the specific construction shown herein to illustrate the invention, but reference is to be had to the appended claims for this purnation of a plurality of drop-bottom doors one of'which is mounted to turn one horizontal swmging axls, means actuated on the and imparting swinging movement to said axis, and means carried by said axis into (siupporting engagement with said first-named oor x 3. In a drop-bottom dump car, the combination of a drop-bottom door hinged to the car, a plurality of drop-bottom doors mounted to turn on horizontal swinging axes, means actuated on the closure of the doors and imparting swinging movement to said axes, and means carried by each of said axes into supporting engagement with the next adjacent door.

4. In a drop-bottom dump car, the combination of a drop-bottom door hinged to the forward end of the car, a plurality of dropbottom doors arranged in series to the rear of said first-named door and each mounted to turn on a horizontal swinging axis, means actuated on the closure of the rear door in said series and imparting swinging movementto said swinging axes, and means car- 6. In a drop-bottom dump car, the combination of a series of bottom closure doors arranged one in front of the other, an axis on which the frtint door turns at its forward I end, a swinging axis for each of the other doors of the series, means imparting a swinging movement to said axes on closing the doors, and means actuated by said swingin movement into supporting engment wit, eachdoor immediately in the rear ofeach swin ing am s.

7 n a drop-bottom dump car, the combi nation of a car body and axles supporting the same, with a pairof 5| swin-1 from one of said axles, a door mounteto turn on an am's supported by vsaid i a second door him in front of said first-named door with its free edge adjacent said li supported axis, means parting swinging movement to said carried I 1. d tha a v.- thereby on the closure of the doors, and means actuated by said movement dis use

iinto supporting engagement with said second oor.

8. In a drop-bottom dump car, the combination of a car body, and axles supporting the same, a door carried on each axle by swinging links, whereby said doors may swing on said axles longitudinall of the car, a projection on each door to the ront of said links, and an upwardly and forwardl moving latch engaged by the rearmost oor in its closing movement. whereby said doors are swung forward and the said projections thereon are moved into supporting engagement with the rear edge of the door next in front,

9. In a drop-bottom dump car, the combination of a. car body, and axles supporting the same, with a hinge rod, a door mounted to turn on said rod, a swingin support for said rod whereby the same is I ee to swing longitudinally of the car, a. door mounted to turn on said rod, a vertically and forwardly swinging latch engaged by the rear portion of said door during its closing movement, whereby a forward swinging movement is imparted to said door, and a. second door engaged and held in closed position by the forward portions of said swinging door. a

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

FURRE ST ANDREWS. 

